by Elena Aitken
Live.
It had been a long, hard year, harder than she ever could have imagined. But there had been good, too. A lot of good.
Besides, a promise was a promise, after all.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The Log and Jam was packed.
When Drew and Ben started texting and phoning their friends, and of course Sylvia and Mitch, and Drew’s parents, too, to ask them to join them in a toast to Eric, neither of them had expected the crowd that had dropped everything to join them to celebrate Eric at the last minute. It was important to have Austin there, too, because Drew wouldn’t think of celebrating Eric’s life without one of his greatest achievements present.
Thankfully Ben had been able to add family friendly hours at the Log and Jam, which meant everyone they loved would be able to attend.
They’d decided to use the patio space, as it might be one of the last times they’d be able to take advantage of the warm weather. Soon it would be too cold, even with the heaters Ben had installed. But for now, it was perfect and as Drew looked around the space, her heart had never felt more full.
These people were not only her friends, they were her family. And if the last year had taught her anything at all, it was that there was nothing more important than family.
“Eric would have loved this,” Sylvia said as she wrapped Drew in a tight hug. “It’s perfect.”
Drew smiled at her mother-in-law. “I think so, too. How are you doing today?”
Sylvia smiled, but there was an ever present tear in her eye. “Honestly? I’m doing better than I thought I would. I still miss him terribly, as I’m sure you do.” Drew nodded. “But it gets a little, well, not easier, but more manageable every day. Does that make sense?”
“Perfect sense.”
Mitch and Ben joined them with Austin, who’d been carrying around his dad’s baseball bat all day. “How are you doing, kiddo?” Drew ruffled her son’s hair. They’d talked a lot about Eric earlier in the day, which had been good for Austin to share his favorite memories of his dad, memories she’d continue to work hard to keep alive for her son.
“I’m good, Mom.”
His words were tough, but Drew could see his lower lip tremble a little. She knelt and pulled her son into a tight hug. “It’s okay to be sad,” she said in his ear. “And no matter what, always remember how proud of you your dad would be. I love you, kiddo.”
When she stood, Austin wiped his eyes quickly and gave her a thumbs-up.
“How about you come with me and Grandma over to that bar to see what they have for soda pop, Austin?” Mitch winked at Drew, who only shook her head and a moment later, with his free hand in his grandfather’s, they were gone.
“How are you doing, sweetheart?” As soon as they were alone, Ben wrapped his arm around her and held her close as he pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head.
“I can’t imagine feeling any better,” she answered honestly. “To have everyone here.” She turned so she faced him. “To have you here. And…Eric. I know he’s here, too.” She smiled, but there was no sadness in it. Not anymore.
“He is.” Ben took her hand and pressed it to first his chest and then her own, so it rested over her heart. “He’s always been here, Drew. And he always will be.”
She used her free hand to run a finger down Ben’s cheek before standing on her tiptoes to kiss him. “I love you.”
“Are we interrupting something?” Amber tapped Drew on the shoulder.
“Of course we are.” Cam laughed.
“Not that it’s going to stop us.” It was Christy who took Drew’s hand and after an apology tossed in Ben’s direction, led Drew away with the others.
“Sorry to break that up,” Cam said when they had Drew alone in a semi private corner of the patio. “But we just thought we should take a minute.”
“It’s okay.” Drew laughed. “He’s not going anywhere.” She smiled a little to herself at her choice of words.
Amber pulled out a bottle of wine and poured them all a small glass. “I wanted to propose a toast.”
“Good idea.” Christy tossed her hair back over her shoulder and raised her glass.
“It’s been quite a year,” Amber started. She looked to Cam, and added, “I guess it’s been a little bit longer than a year, since…well…”
“Since our second chances started,” Cam finished for her and they all nodded.
“Yes, I like that,” Amber said. “Second chances. That’s definitely what these last eighteen months or so have been about. I can’t believe how much we’ve all been through,” she continued. “Cam, your divorce.” She shook her head, but Cam shrugged.
“The hardest thing I ever had to do,” she said. “But it led me back home and back to Evan.”
“And your second chance together,” Drew said.
“Exactly.” Cam smiled. “And thank goodness for that. And Christy, your struggles with infertility and everything you and Mark went through…”
Christy closed her eyes for a moment before speaking. “I wouldn’t change it. All of that, it made us stronger and it brought us Mya. That was our second chance.”
“And a beautiful one it is,” Amber agreed. She looked at each of them in turn. “We all know my second chance was with myself.”
Drew took her best friend’s hand and squeezed. “I’m so glad you took that chance on yourself. Fighting a drug addiction.” She shook her head. “You are incredible, Amber.”
“I don’t know about that,” she protested. “But I’ll tell you what is incredible, is life with Logan. If I hadn’t given myself that chance—well, I don’t know what would have happened.”
“You don’t even have to think about it,” Cam said. “I’m so happy for you both.”
All four women were silent for a moment before turning their attention to Drew.
“Don’t say it,” Drew said in an effort to brush away their comments before they could make her cry. She’d done enough crying for one day. Hell, maybe even for years. “We all know why we’re here.”
“It doesn’t change anything,” Christy said. “I just want to say one thing about it all, okay?” Drew nodded, because Christy would say whatever it was she wanted to say no matter what. “It’s nice to see you smile.”
Drew burst out laughing, because whatever it was that she thought Christy was going to say, that wasn’t it.
“I think so, too,” Amber said.
“Me too.” Cam grinned. “Watching your second chance is especially special.”
Drew couldn’t disagree with her friends, because she felt it, too. Her relationship with Ben was special and for so many reasons. But at the same time, it wasn’t any more special than what they’d all been through. It was just different.
Just as her love for Ben was different than what she had with Eric. No less special, just different.
And she wouldn’t trade one moment of any of it.
* * *
THE END
I hope you enjoyed Drew and Ben’s story of love and second chances. There are more stories to be told in Timber Creek and they will be coming…
In the meantime, why not check out another one of my small town romance series? The McCormicks is one of my favorites! Five sexy brothers, all with their own stories…what’s not to love?
You can read a sneak peek of the first story right after this…
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p; About the Author
Elena Aitken is a USA Today Bestselling Author of more than forty romance and women’s fiction novels. Living a stone’s throw from the Rocky Mountains with her teenager twins, their two cats and a goofy rescue dog, Elena escapes into the mountains whenever life allows. She can often be found with her toes in the lake and a glass of wine in her hand, dreaming up her next book and working on her own happily ever after with her very own mountain man.
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To learn more about Elena:
www.elenaaitken.com
[email protected]
Also by Elena Aitken
Timber Creek
When We Left
When We Were Us
When We Began
When We Fell
* * *
Castle Mountain Lodge
Unexpected Gifts
Hidden Gifts
Unexpected Endings - Short Story
Mistaken Gifts
Secret Gifts
Goodbye Gifts
Tempting Gifts
Holiday Gifts
Promised Gifts
Accidental Gifts
The Castle Mountain Lodge Collection: Books 1-3
The Castle Mountain Lodge Collection: Books 4-6
The Castle Mountain Lodge Collection: Books 7-9
The Castle Mountain Lodge Complete Collection
* * *
The Springs Series
Summer of Change
Falling Into Forever
Second Glances (Novella)
Winter’s Burn
Midnight Springs
She’s Making A List (Holiday Novella)
Fighting For Forever (Novella)
The Springs Collection: Volume 1
The Springs Collection: Volume 2
The Springs Complete Collection - Books 1-10
* * *
The Springs—Stone Summit
Summit of Desire
Summit of Seduction
Summit of Passion
Stone Summit Trilogy
* * *
The McCormicks
Love in the Moment
Only for a Moment
One more Moment
In this Moment
From this Moment
* * *
Bears of Grizzly Ridge
His to Protect
His to Seduce
His to Claim
Hers to Take
Bears of Grizzly Ridge: The Complete Set
* * *
Destination Paradise
Shelter by the Sea
Escape to the Sun
Hidden in the Sand - Available 2019
* * *
Escape Collection
Nothing Stays in Vegas
Return to Vegas
Drawing Free
Sugar Crash
Composing Myself
Betty & Veronica
The Escape Collection
* * *
Halfway Series
Halfway to Nowhere
Halfway in Between
Halfway to Christmas
Love in the Moment
Please enjoy this excerpt from the first in The McCormicks Series—Love in the Moment
Ian McCormick stole a glance at the woman sitting next to him. He’d picked her up only ten minutes earlier from the bus station and already he’d run out of things to talk about. In fact, beyond the general introductions they’d exchanged, they really hadn’t spoken at all. He felt as if he should say something to break the silence, but every time he opened his mouth, he drew a blank. What was he supposed to say to the younger half-sister he’d never met?
The sister that he’d never had any desire to meet, not since finding out about her existence almost ten years ago. As far as he was concerned, Ian could have gone the rest of his life without knowing about Chelsea or her sister, Amber’s existence. And he really didn’t see any need to get to know either of them. After all, they were the reason his entire life had imploded all those years ago.
Okay, that wasn’t entirely fair. It wasn’t their fault that their father had led a secret life, with a completely different family. A family he’d finally left his other family for, leaving Ian, his brothers, and his mother all alone. No. It wasn’t the girls’ fault. But all of the reasoning in the world hadn’t made it any easier for Ian to wrap his head around it. Despite the fact that it had been almost a decade ago.
He snuck another look at the girl who had barely looked up from her phone since she’d sat down in the jeep. There was definitely a family resemblance. She had their father’s green eyes, just like he did. And the dark, thick hair. He hated to admit it, but there was no denying she was his sister. And it wasn’t as if he could spend the whole summer not talking to her. He’d made a promise to Declan, his second youngest brother.
“It’s not her fault,” Declan had said on the phone. “Chelsea and Amber aren’t to blame, Ian. You need to get over it.”
Dec was right. He did need to get over it, especially since she was going to be staying with him all summer. He took a breath and opened his mouth to say something, but didn’t have a chance.
“I know you hate me.”
Ian shut his mouth dumbly.
“And I suppose you think you have a reason to,” Chelsea continued. “But it wasn’t my idea to come here, you know? Declan pretty much insisted that it would be good for me or something, and…well…I kinda trust Dec. Besides, I didn’t really have anywhere else to go.”
He swallowed hard, giving himself a moment. “I don’t hate you.” As he spoke the words, he realized they were true. “I just don’t know you. And Declan’s right. It will be good for you here.”
“You don’t even know why he said that.”
“I don’t need to.” Ian slowed the jeep to take the turn that would lead them out of town, toward the cottages. His house sat at the end of a row of other log cabins that were used primarily by summer people. Most of the houses were built by families who came from the city for the summer months, and they were still locked up tight because the season wouldn’t start for another month or so. It was quiet, but Ian liked it. At least for now, while he was getting settled. And it was true, he didn’t know why Declan thought it was a good idea for Chelsea to get out of the city for the summer, but he had a few guesses, and there was no doubt that a little bit of quiet would be good for her, too. “I trust Declan, too,” he said as the jeep bumped over the dirt road. It was impossible not to trust Declan. Out of all of his siblings, Dec was definitely the most trustworthy, and the most compassionate and caring and…he was pretty much everything good in the world. “If he thinks it’ll be good for you out here, he’s probably right.”
She shrugged and turned back to her cell phone, looking up a moment later in horror. “The service is terrible here.”
“One of my favorite features.” He smiled.
“Why would that be a good thing?”
He ignored the question. “It’s not that bad, really. Just a little spotty sometimes. Besides, you’ll be able to get Wi-Fi at the Dockside as soon as I get it hooked up.”
“The Dockside?”
“The new marina.” Ian couldn’t help but smile. “Cool name, right?” The main reason he’d returned to Cedar Springs was because the economy was starting to pick up, and there were business opportunities to be had. One of the first he’d found was the old marina. It was just next to the Grizzly Paw on the beach in town and Ian remembered it as the meeting place for summer fun. He picked it up for a bargain basement price, probably because it needed so much work. By the looks of things, it had sat empty for years and it would definitely take a little elbow grease to get it up and running again. Not that Ian was afraid of hard work. In fact, that had always been his favorite part of a new business: turning nothing into something. “I just closed on it yesterday. And with any luck, it will be open and ready for business in time for the season to start. But if that’s going to happen, I’m going to need a little h
elp.”
She looked at him sideways. “And I suppose you want me to help.”
“You got it. Call it…the price of admission.”
She rolled her eyes and shoved her phone into her duffel bag. “Why not? I guess a summer job won’t hurt.”
“Oh no.” Ian braced himself for her response to what he was about to tell her. “Helping at the marina isn’t a summer job—it’s just an expectation. I got you a job, too. You’ll be starting at the Grizzly Paw right away. Sam’s an old friend of mine, and she’s doing me a favor by giving you this job, so I know you won’t let me down.”
“Two jobs?”
“No.” He shook his head. “Just one. And a family project.”
“But I’m never going to have any time to have fun,” she wailed.
That was the point, at least as far as Ian was concerned. He didn’t know much about twenty-two-year-old girls, but from what Declan had told him, Chelsea was making far too many poor choices. And as the big brother—whether he wanted to be or not—it was going to be his job to help her make good ones. Or keep her too busy to make anything but.
When Gwen Henderson had dreamed of her triumphant return to Cedar Springs after years of hard work and sacrifice, she’d dreamed of driving an expensive convertible down Main Street, her dark hair floating in the breeze as all the men’s heads turned to see the beautiful and famous celebrity she’d turned out to be as they kicked themselves for not dating her when they had their chance.
Yes, in her fantasies, it was perfect. In reality, however, she had not imagined that on the eve of her summer visit to Cedar Springs, her secondhand Mustang would have some random, and likely expensive, engine problem that would require her taking the bus into town. And she most certainly did not expect that the one man who’d not only turned her down as a teenager, but had publicly humiliated her ten years earlier at the Summer Equinox Festival, would be there when she got off the bus.